Barbara Walters Dementia Crisis — ‘View’ Star’s Sad Final Days

Barbara Walters — the legendary newswoman who was once one of TV’s brightest lights — is slipping away!

Ravaged by illness and brain-numbing dementia, pals said the 87-year-old is so confused she repeatedly asks for her long-dead dog — and they fear her days are numbered! “Barbara asks everyone around her, ‘Where’s Cha-Cha?’” spilled a source. “She can barely recognize anyone or anything, except pictures of the dog!”

Once out virtually every day, Barbara hasn’t been seen in public since July when she was spotted at the New York premiere of Woody Allen’s movie “Café Society,” where an eyewitness said “she looked absolutely horrible.” According to the source, Barbara was hunched over as she “shuffled” out of her limo and had to be helped into the theater. In fact, the former “Today” host has been in virtual seclusion since November when she skipped the 20th anniversary episode of “The View” — a show she launched!

“There is NO way she would have missed the reunion if she weren’t gravely ill,” a TV insider told The National ENQUIRER. Over the years, the ailing anchor has “had heart issues, head injuries from falls and dire problems with her memory,” said another source. In May 2010, Barbara had heart surgery to correct a faulty valve, and in January 2013, she was knocked out and gashed her head in a nasty fall.

Soon after, she was hospitalized for 10 days for chicken pox! She’s also suffered advanced hearing loss and recently dropped a tremendous amount of weight, sources snitched. While her rep said she’s doing fine, pals claimed Barbara — who retired as a co-host in 2014 — is so muddled mentally that she may accidentally harm herself.

“She has to have someone watching over her at ALL times,” confided one insider. “She’s been forced into that wheelchair for fear that she’ll have another dangerous fall — or wander out onto the streets on her own.” Another source said: “Barbara’s handlers have had a very hard time with her. The way things look now, she doesn’t have long to live!”